Woman seeks IVF payment from ex-boyfriend after 10-year relationship, says he 'stole' her childbearing years

The woman said she had not yet recovered emotionally and was not ready to start dating again, but still wanted to become a mother.

A 34-year-old woman has said she wants her former partner to pay for her IVF treatment after the end of their 10-year relationship, arguing that he “stole” her childbearing years by abandoning their shared plans for marriage and family.

Writing to The Telegraph’s Moral Money column, the woman described how her boyfriend, aged 38, ended their relationship after a decade together, leaving her single and emotionally shattered. She claimed the breakup had derailed the future she had been preparing for, both emotionally and practically.

She explained that the relationship had been built on mutual understanding and long-term commitment. The pair had bought a flat together and lived as a couple for eight years after dating for two. Throughout this time, she said she made compromises for the relationship — including scaling back her professional ambitions and managing most domestic responsibilities — to support her partner’s demanding career.

According to her account, they had agreed that once they started a family, she would take a step back from work while he continued to focus on his high-profile career. That understanding, she wrote, was rooted in trust and shared goals. However, the arrangement collapsed when he told her he “wasn’t ready” for marriage or children, despite years of planning for that next stage of life.

“Here I am at 34, eggs twitching, ready for marriage and parenthood, but unexpectedly single and emotionally devastated,” she wrote, describing the sense of loss and betrayal she felt following the breakup.

The woman said she had not yet recovered emotionally and was not ready to start dating again, but still wanted to become a mother. “Time is running out. I am looking into IVF so I can preserve my chances while I am still fertile. It is expensive. I think he should pay,” she added.

She claimed her former partner was aware of how important motherhood had always been to her, yet had refused to provide any financial assistance. “He even cited the fact that time is running out as one of the reasons he ended the relationship,” she said, expressing anger and disbelief at his decision.

Feeling disadvantaged by the years she invested in a relationship that did not lead to marriage or children, she argued that he should share some responsibility for the consequences of his change of mind. “Surely he should have some responsibility for helping me mitigate the damage to our plans caused by his change of heart and broken promises?” she wrote.